Verizon and Qualcomm double down on the Internet of Things

09.06.2016

Joint initiative poised to simplify IoT application development and transform customer experience

Las Vegas, NV – Verizon and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, are leading an effort to drive innovation, productivity and value for businesses, consumers and citizens enabled by the internet of things (IoT). To deliver the next-generation of IoT products and services requiring low power and low bandwidth, for the first time, Verizon will pre-integrate its ThingSpace IoT platform as-a-service within Qualcomm Technologies’ MDM9206 Category M (Cat M1) LTE modem. The initiative also utilizes Verizon’s leading 4G LTE network as the gateway for simplifying the process of building, deploying and managing IoT applications customized for a wide-range of use cases. The companies announced their IoT collaboration at the start of CTIA Super Mobility 2016 in Las Vegas and expect that the ThingSpace IoT platform will be available for OEM integration on MDM9206-based solutions in early 2017.

Establishing Cat M1 as the industry standard

Historically, the cost to connect IoT devices to the LTE wide area network has been higher than linking to other technologies like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zwave or ZigBee. Verizon and Qualcomm Technologies have a strong track record of working with companies to embed LTE chipsets in connected devices, making it faster to deploy IoT devices on 4G LTE. Through this collaboration, the companies are now on a path to make the opportunity-cost of connecting intelligent devices on 4G LTE more compelling by using Category M1 as the new standard – all with LTE’s superior security, reliability and reach.

Easing innovation for developers and businesses

Businesses developing on Qualcomm Technologies’ Cat M1 LTE modem beginning with the MDM9206, will be able to speed up connectivity to the cloud seamlessly using ThingSpace – Verizon’s global IoT platform which allows developers worldwide to build and manage applications. The availability of ThingSpace within low power LTE modems offered by Qualcomm Technologies, a leading wireless semiconductor company, accelerates the development of a new and innovative digital ecosystem of intelligent connected devices on 4G LTE at scale. In doing so, the two tech companies also anticipate tackling the barriers most commonly associated with IoT deployments – including firmware management, real-time device diagnostics, device onboarding and data access. The collaboration also aims to bring even more sophisticated apps to the forefront such as device security and sensor data visualization.

“When it comes to the internet of things, no single company can go at it alone in order to scale from the millions of devices to the billions of devices needed to create cleaner cities, deliver better healthcare, conserve water and make the digital world work better for consumers and citizens,” said Mike Lanman, senior vice president Enterprise Products and IoT at Verizon. “Simplicity is a necessary starting point and working across the ecosystem – at the network, platform and application levels – is also needed in order to capture the real market opportunity of the internet of things.”

“That’s why solidifying our long-standing relationship with Qualcomm Technologies in this manner to give developers worldwide the tools they need to innovate seamlessly, securely and in a cost-effective structure on 4G LTE combined with our ThingSpace platform, built by Verizon Labs, is an exciting milestone for the industry,” Lanman added.

“Wireless technologies, including LTE and 5G in the future, are rapidly evolving to deliver a scalable, unified and interoperable connectivity platform for the Internet of Things,” said Raj Talluri, senior vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “Our LTE modems bring not only connectivity but also compute capabilities to all kinds of IoT devices, helping leading operators such as Verizon extend their business models into promising new areas including smart energy and metering, building security, infrastructure, industrial control and automation, retail point of sale and asset tracking.”